The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-20
A DIVE KEEPER'SLAMENT
HE REGRETS THAT THE DAYS OF
HIS GLORY ARE DEPARTED.

HE REGRETS THAT THE DAYS OF
HIS GLORY ARE DEPARTED.
Scenes and Incidents at the Police
Courts-Some of the Characters Who
Are Daily Seen in Gotham's Halls o
Justice.
New YORK, Nov ia sad-eyed mar
with hair that clustered around his thin
poetical face in long ringlets strolled
through Central Park on Sunday afternoon
with his head sunk on his breast in gentle
meditation and melancholy.
New York, he said, bitterly, 'is bust
ed community. She's dead cock in the
pit. Nothin' of the glee and joysomeness
which formerly characterized her remains
but ashes and gloom"
He was clad in dark clothes with snuff
colored overcoat, snowy linen and beaver
hat, the glossiness of which was subdued by
broad band of Grape. The man was the
picture of aristocratic responsibility. 1t
was not until he spoke that one discovered
that he was not member of the most exclu-
sive circles of New York society. He rus
tied the leaves slowly with his black cane
and smoothed the wrinkles ont of his gloves,
1t is difficult to convey any just notion of
the absolutely solemn and romantic ap-
pearance of Billy McGlory, ex-convict, ex-
dive keeper and once declared TO be the
wickedest man in New York.
'You don't often come out here, do your
asked, as he strolled along beside me.
Every day. I'm fond of birds, trees,
flowers excitement and art. The Catherine
Wolf pictures in the museum are great,
amt theyl What'd s'pose they're worth"
Half a million"
Sat least Pd rather see 'em thin prize
fight. You didn't call at tn college e see
me while | was dom me undergraduate
course, did yerF'
THE college"
lover ON the island"
"Oh, the penitentisry No, didn't call.
II served me time, said McGlory, sadly,
''like a man. and when ] came out was
chased all over town What kind Of a vii
lage is this, anyhow" he asked, half sullen-
ly. 81 kept Sportin house and it was fire.
quented by people of hang dog kind. OF
course it was. Y'u don expec' nuns and
choristers to visit such places. Well, my
lawyers told me was dom tn legal thing.
] went ahead an made money. Suddenly
tn police dropped on me an faced the
music like man They sentenced me t
tn college an | went an served my term:
Nobody heard me whine nor cry. When l
got out found lots of sportin' houses in
full bloom, but they wouldn't allow me to
resume business. Oh, mol Tom Gould an
others was nabbed but they all got free.
One bv one tn places were all closed up I'M
Til now nothin' is open, as far as appearance
goes But d s'pose there amt no larkin' an
wickedness goin' onl Rot. Why, this town
of million or more amt reformed simply
because tn Mayors closed half d. zen
sportin' houses Don't you believe it. |
know whereof speak. The vice which was
concentrated and kept in sight has been
spread throughout tn town an every tene-
ment an fat house in New ork now has
its own inmates of a sinful character, and
vice has invaded every quarter. P'raps
you don't b'heve me?
but did. By an odd coincidence l had
talked but a short time before with the
shrewdest and best informed of New York
policemen, Inspector Alexander s. Williams,
and his views exactly conceded with those
of the dive keeper, Billy McGlory. He had
explained tersely how easily the city was
governed when certain resorts and localities
were tacitly set aside for the more degraded
of New Workers. The thieves and rascals
generally always hocked to these points, and
the police nabbed them there without an eff
fort. Now they are distributed all over the
island, and every house has its den to spread
vice among the inmates.
Another thing" said McGlory that day
in the park, there amt any run left in
town. It's drivin trade away Country
merchants and Out-of-twon buyers formerly
came here two or three times year to lay
in their stock. They liked TO have a little
foot and expand themselves, of course. In
a word, they wanted L see tn sights, as do
all other visitors. I've had English Earls,
French nobl'men and millionaires without
number in my place lookin' at tn sights
alongside of countrymen an jags from
everywhere These people all shake New
York now. They 60 to Chicago, Boston or
Philadelphia, where there is somethin' T.
do beside 20 to close theayter an then go
e bed"
McGlory's vision is colored, of course, but
there is not doubt that the town has grown
monstrously dull. Even the German sing
ing societies have to sing under provoking
restrictions, and there is absolutely nothing
going on outside of the theatres and the
secret gambling houses as far as the eye can
see In point OF fact, however, the towns
as wicked as it was a few months ago, only
now it has grown hypocritical.
BLAKELY HALL.